Whiteman recognizes National Nutrition Month

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cody H. Ramirez
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  March is National Nutrition Month, putting our focus on the importance of healthy food choices and physical activities.

"Seventy-five to 85 percent of performance is based off nutrition," said Mrs. Stephanie Fraley, 509th Medical Operations Squadron health promotions dietician and Air Force Global Strike Command member. "You can't expect to perform well in any aspect if you don't give your body the proper fuel.

"I like to compare our bodies to vehicles," she said. "You wouldn't expect your car to run without gas and maintenance. The body is the same. It needs the proper fuel and maintenance."

Mrs. Fraley offered the following nutrition tips for people looking to improve their health.
- Add fruits and vegetables to your diet. Rather than removing non-nutritional items from your diets, add healthy foods. You're not going to have as much space in your stomach after eating the healthy food and will most likely skip out on the junk food. Just think, 'What can you add to your diet to make it better?'
- Add fresh foods to your diet. Shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is a great idea, because that is where most of the whole foods are. The middle typically has the processed foods and preservatives.
- Minimize portion sizes. You should reconsider what an appropriate portion size is. Typically, the size of your fist is the recommended size of a meal. Portion sizes are one of the main things to look at when trying to cut calories and improve overall health.
- Balance nutrients. No one nutrient can provide the fuel your body needs. Focus on getting the most important nutrients for your body; carbohydrates, fats and proteins.

"Look at where you're at and make small changes towards the goal you want to obtain," Mrs. Fraley said. "I typically compare diets to the nursery rhyme, 'the tortoise and the hare,' and mentality that, 'slow and steady wins the race.'

"Consistency is the most important factor," she added. "Don't try and do everything at once. Add two to three changes until they become second-nature, then add more; slow and steady."

Mrs. Fraley also offers diet advice for those looking to increase health and performance in activities such as sports or cardio.

"People are welcome to come in and ask questions or set up an appointment with me," said Mrs. Fraley. "I'll sit down and discuss exactly what their goals are and give them a nutrition plan to meet those goals."

"I believe whole-heartedly in wellness and what we promote in this venue is prevention," she said. "Rather than people having problems and coming to us after-the-fact, we want to educate them, so they evade the problems from the start. Getting involved in the nutrition and exercise sides of wellness is crucial."

National Nutrition Month is an annual campaign sponsored by the American Dietetic Association to promote nutrition awareness and education. According to eatright.org, it originated in 1973 as "National Nutrition Week" and expanded to the month-long observance in 1980 in response to growing public interest in nutrition.

To make an appointment, or ask diet questions, contact Mrs. Fraley at (660) 687-3438.